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Phuket, the largest island in Thailand, is a great destination for tourists and adventure enthusiasts. Apart from the lively streets, dazzling city nightlife, museum, picturesque greenery, and stunning beaches, the place is known for its mix of Chinese and Portuguese cultures, which is quite evident from the mouth-watering dishes served here. This place is the Elysium of Scuba divers around the world, where you will encounter some of the most diverse aquatic lifeforms, reef formations, and breathtaking shipwrecks. Truly, scuba diving in Phuket is an adventure of a lifetime!
Factors That Affect Scuba Diving
Photo: Maël BALLAND / Pexels / Image For Representation Only
When you go about choosing places for Scuba diving in Phuket, there are certain factors that you must consider:
- The weather conditions
- The clarity of water
- The population of aquatic life
- Water current
- Temperature of water
- The volume of your air tank
- Depth of water you are exploring
- Rate of air consumption
Levels Of Scuba Diving
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Beginner and Expert: There are comprehensive courses for beginners or experts in case they need some brushing up. The program requires you to set out in a boat in the morning along with your instructor. On the boat, you will receive some basic theories and do’s and don’ts of diving. After that, your instructor will dive alongside you to guide you through the tour. Experienced divers are more than welcome to explore the deep, dark sea.
Duration: 2 and a half hours – 3 hours
Popular Scuba Diving Destinations In Phuket
Phuket has several sites for scuba diving that will offer you an experience of a lifetime. Some of the popular sites for scuba diving in Phuket are:
1. Shark Point
Photo: jon hanson / Wikimedia Commons
The site lies between Phuket and Phi Phi Island, about 28 km from the Phuket coast, which is quite popular for its leopard shark sightings. The Shark Point is located close to the Anemone Reef and the King Cruiser wreck and has many deep water pinnacles that hide the corals deep below. Depending on the water current, start from the first pinnacle and go about 24 metres below. Here, you will see a lot of schooling fish, soft corals, hard corals, moray eels, scorpionfish, lionfish, pufferfish, blue-ringed angelfish, snappers, groupers and many colourful reef fishes.
Minimum Depth Level: 5 – 10 metres
Maximum Depth Level: 20 – 24 metres
2. Anemone Reef
Photo: Weldon Kennedy / Wikimedia Commons / Image For Representation Only
About 29 Km off the coast of the Chalong Bay of Phuket Island is a reef filled with anemones. This reef is located a few hundred metres from the shark point, and it has a sandy bottom that is about 25 metres deep. With some luck, you can see the soft corals, seahorses, ghost pipefish, soldierfish, scorpion fish shelters and sea fans. Also known as the “Hin Jom”, meaning “sunken rock”, this reef is actually a limestone pinnacle that can be reached by a 90-minute boat ride from the beach.
Minimum Depth Level: 6 metres
Maximum Depth Level: 26 metres
3. King Cruiser Wreck Site
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Often nicknamed the “Thaitanic”, this is the wreck of the Kind cruiser ferry in 1997 that mistakenly hit the Anemone reef. The wreck was slow, and there was no loss of life, but now this nautical disaster itself is a great tourist spot! The 85-metre-long wreckage over the past 20 years, has become an artificial reef and houses different species of aquatic life. Located close to the Anemone Reef and the Shark Point, this place is located at a maximum depth of 30 metres and is not a place for beginners.
Minimum Depth Level: 16 metres
Maximum Depth Level: 30 metres
4. Koh Bida Nok
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The Koh Bida Nok is one of the best places for scuba diving in Phuket. Located about 56 km from Phuket island, the area is close to the southeastern edge of the Phi Phi islands, which is located within the Mu Ko Phi Phi underwater National Park. Apart from the myriads of aquatic life forms, the place is dotted with sandy bottoms, sloping reefs, steep walls, small caves, large cracks and different types of corals. The special attractions worth mentioning are giant snapper schools, the rare leopard sharks, whale sharks and octopuses.
Minimum Depth Level: 1 metre
Maximum Depth Level: 30 metres
5. Racha Islands
Photo: Roma Neus / Wikimedia Commons
Scuba diving in Phuket is incomplete if you do not explore the diving opportunities in the smallest and largest of the Racha islands. Known as the Racha Noi and the Racha Yai, respectively, these places offer you a remarkable underwater experience. In the Racha Noi, you will get to see the Stingrays and Manta Rays, while in the Racha Yai, you will witness different types of soft corals and marine life, like Garden Eels and Blue Spotted Stingrays in the greater depths. This beautiful underwater paradise on Earth is just 47.7 miles away from the Phuket islands.
Minimum And Maximum Depth Of Racha Yai: 1 metre – 15 metres
Minimum And Maximum Depth Of Racha Noi: 1 metre – 30 metres
Best Time For Scuba Diving In Phuket
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Anytime between November and April is the best time for scuba diving in Phuket. This is because there are rarely any rainfall showers or storms to shake the seas during this time. Moreover, the sun is bright, and the underwater world appears beautifully blue; hence, there is a low chance of accidents.
Price Of Scuba Diving In Phuket
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Different agencies offer you scuba diving deals in Phuket in several price ranges. However, on average, this will cost you around ₹8000 to ₹13,000 per person. The prices can increase for the non-divers and newbies that require assistance.
Scuba diving in Phuket can be the adventure of a lifetime if the trip is planned at the right time of the year. The stunning underwater paradise of reefs and wreckage is no less than the mythical beauty of Atlantis! Book a trip to Thailand and enjoy the exciting water sports in Phuket.
Cover Photo: Phuketdivecenter / Wikimedia Commons
